Sub 37 Shipping Blues
Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2017 5:24 pm
Long Story Medium.
Bought a new Sub 37 online from a New York dealer who I won't name. I live close by in New England, but the dealer's warehouse is mid-Atlantic. So it was nearly a week of ground delivery. Fine. Good things come to those who wait.
Truck pulls up today. Driver rings the bell and is holding what I instantly recognized as the inner box. The nice looking one with the graphics and text. The one you saved. The one you'd expect to be nestled in an outer box.
But there it was, the inner box used for shipping. No tape - anyone in the chain could just have lifted the flap and busted out some prog solos or what have you. Those 2 little cardboard tabs were all that kept the synth from sliding out in transit.
What was the condition of the inner box? Glad you asked! It was scuffed, worn, and distressed looking.
Was there a bootprint on it? Yes, a dirty man-sized workboot print. I could probably team up with a forensics expert and tell you the size and brand. Someone walked on the box. Walked. On the inner box. Did it cave in? Of course it did it's a cardboard box. The contents seemed to help support the gentleman who needed to walk on my Moog.
Inside, the Styrofoam was cracked but the synth looked fine. Closer inspection revealed a little ding on a wood side, no big deal. And the main volume knob seemed like something knicked the plastic. And the screen was a little smudgy. And the knobs were in weird positions I wouldn't think the factory would have sent it out with.
So here are the 3 President's Day Weekend Sale lessons I learned.
1. Tape and cardboard are cheap, but not as cheap as slapping a shipping label on the inner box.
2. At some point, a UPS dude may decide to stand on your synth.
3. The Sub 37 is built well, because it powered right up and sounds great.
The irony is that to buy the 37, I sold a bunch of cheaper synths. I packed them like my life depended on their arrival condition. Rolls of bubble wrap, double boxed, a mile of tape, fingerprints polished off and factory settings restored. This is what's known as reverse shipping karma. Next time I'm gonna ship stuff in an unsealed shoebox. Enjoy the Blofeld chunks!
Bought a new Sub 37 online from a New York dealer who I won't name. I live close by in New England, but the dealer's warehouse is mid-Atlantic. So it was nearly a week of ground delivery. Fine. Good things come to those who wait.
Truck pulls up today. Driver rings the bell and is holding what I instantly recognized as the inner box. The nice looking one with the graphics and text. The one you saved. The one you'd expect to be nestled in an outer box.
But there it was, the inner box used for shipping. No tape - anyone in the chain could just have lifted the flap and busted out some prog solos or what have you. Those 2 little cardboard tabs were all that kept the synth from sliding out in transit.
What was the condition of the inner box? Glad you asked! It was scuffed, worn, and distressed looking.
Was there a bootprint on it? Yes, a dirty man-sized workboot print. I could probably team up with a forensics expert and tell you the size and brand. Someone walked on the box. Walked. On the inner box. Did it cave in? Of course it did it's a cardboard box. The contents seemed to help support the gentleman who needed to walk on my Moog.
Inside, the Styrofoam was cracked but the synth looked fine. Closer inspection revealed a little ding on a wood side, no big deal. And the main volume knob seemed like something knicked the plastic. And the screen was a little smudgy. And the knobs were in weird positions I wouldn't think the factory would have sent it out with.
So here are the 3 President's Day Weekend Sale lessons I learned.
1. Tape and cardboard are cheap, but not as cheap as slapping a shipping label on the inner box.
2. At some point, a UPS dude may decide to stand on your synth.
3. The Sub 37 is built well, because it powered right up and sounds great.
The irony is that to buy the 37, I sold a bunch of cheaper synths. I packed them like my life depended on their arrival condition. Rolls of bubble wrap, double boxed, a mile of tape, fingerprints polished off and factory settings restored. This is what's known as reverse shipping karma. Next time I'm gonna ship stuff in an unsealed shoebox. Enjoy the Blofeld chunks!